As the old saying goes, location location location! Once in a while the northern lights will take Reykjavík by surprise and they are so strong that the city lights don’t matter, but most of the time, it’s best to get away from all the street lights and car brights. Taking your visit out of the capital and into the countryside further increases your chances of catching them. There are many great small towns to visit around the country with beautiful country hotels and guesthouses, just steps from pure un-modernized nature where there is no light pollution. Some great towns to consider are Vík and Höfn in the south, Seyðisfjörður in the east, Blönduós and Grímsey in the north, Ísafjörður in the westfjords, and Stykkishólmur in the west.